Friends, family, co-workers remember Ray Shaw

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

American City Business Journals chairman Ray Shaw was remembered Wednesday by friends, co-workers and family as someone who worked hard, but always kept his family first.

“Even when my dad was on vacation, he might have been away from the office, but he was never really away,” said Whitney Shaw, his son and and executive vice president at the company. Shaw recounted how his father called him in the office at 9:30 a.m. while vacationing recently at the Outer Banks. “Anything going on?” the elder Shaw asked.

Shaw, who earlier this year received the Society of American Business Editors and Writers‘ Distinguished Achievement Award and whose company employs 600 business journalists, died Sunday from complications from a bee sting. He was 75. A funeral service was held Wednesday in Charlotte, where American City is headquartered.

In attendance were three dozen publishers of American City newspapers from around the country, editors and reporters from its papers, and billionaire Si Newhouse, the chairman and CEO of Advance Publications, American City’s parent company.

Whitney Shaw noted the publishers’ attendance at Myers Park United Methodist Church, and said if his father was there, he would have asked them, “What kind of month are you having?”

“My father was smart, and yet he was simple,” said Whit Shaw. “He felt strongly that you were never too old to achieve anything special…and never too young to take on responsibilities.”

In the company’s headquarters, an editorial cartoon scheduled to appear in Friday’s Cincinnati Business Courier, one of its papers, commemorating Shaw’s life was posted on each floor outside the elevators.

Geoff Shaw, one of Shaw’s grandsons, also spoke at the service and noted how “Pops” made every effort to attend his grandchildren’s sporting events and take an interest in their hobbies.

“The only thing he loved more than being at the office was spending time with the family,” said Geoff Shaw. “By following his example we have all learned to be better people.”